Spruce Grove Saints Logan Ganie (9) and Jordan Biro (19) celebrate a goal against the Drayton Valley Thunder during the opening round of the Alberta Junior Hockey League playoffs. Spruce Grove won the series 3-1 and now face the Bonnyville Pontiacs in Round 2. Josh Thomas/Reporter/Examiner

The Spruce Grove Saints will take on the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the second Round of the Alberta Junior Hockey League playoffs.

The Saints took down the Drayton Valley Thunder 4-3 in Game 4 on Monday to close out their best-of-five opening round series 3-1. Bonnyville swept the Whitecourt Wolverines in three consecutive games in their quarter-final series.

“We want to be a team that continues to get better every game in the playoffs. That’s how championships are won and that’s our focus right now,” said Saints assistant coach Brennan Menard.

Bonnyville won the season series between the two teams, going 4-2 against the Saints, including a pair of overtime wins and an 8-1 blowout. In their latest meeting, Spruce Grove earned a 3-1 win in Bonnyville with just two games remaining in the season.

“They play really hard for each other, they play very fast, they come at you in waves, and they have a lot of depth. Their goaltending is really good as well. They’re a really well balanced team, they play with a lot of speed and tenacity, and they have crafty players that can score,” said Menard.

Spruce Grove flexed their defensive muscle against Drayton Valley, allowing five goals over four games, and could get more help on the back-end with Tanner Hickey nearing return from injury.

Saints defenceman Jaxsen Wyatt skates the puck out of trouble during Game 2 od the AJHL quarterfinal series against the Drayton Valley Thunder. Josh Thomas/Reporter Examiner

Goaltender Matthew Davis is posted a 1.26 goals against average for the Saints, T.J. Lloyd was a difference maker all series, and Cory Babichuk contributed in a big way after returning from injury. He delivered the series ending goal with 10 seconds left on the clock in Game 4. Despite their strong showing, the players say there is another level of play they can hit.

“I think we can bring another gear. We’ve shown flashes of it and we just need to be consistent in that way. I think we’ll be fine in the long run,” said forward Alex Dalton.

Closing out Drayton Valley on Monday provides the Saints an opportunity for rest and recovery. A loss in Game 4 meant returning home for Game 5 on Wednesday, with the second round set to get underway tonight.

Game 1 will be tonight in Bonnyville at 7:30 p.m., with Game 2 going on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The series will shift to Spruce Grove for Game 3 on Monday at 7 p.m. and Game 4 on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

“Rest is key in the playoffs. Looking back on last year, rest helped our group a lot and we won a championship. That’s definitely something we were looking to achieve,” said Dalton.